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Railroad Tycoon II
Railroad Tycoon II is a business simulation video game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, PlayStation and Dreamcast and is the second game Railroad Tycoon series. Original creator Sid Meier was not involved in the development of this game. Instead, Phil Steinmeyer and PopTop Software created the game, with collaboration from Take-Two Interactive and Gathering of Developers. The was relatively successful, and an expansion named Railroad Tycoon II: The Second Century was released less than a year later, followed by a Gold Edition, which bundled together the two games along with bonus maps, and game updates. The Game continued to sell well, and in August 2001, a Platinum Edition was released, which was the same as the Gold Edition, but with 50 extra community made maps, for a total of 126 scenarios for the whole game. In 2010, 2K Games rereleased Railroad Tycoon: Platinum Edition on to the steam digital download platform as part of a bundle to buy Railroad Tycoon 3 and Sid Meier's Railroads. Gameplay Railroad Tycoon II is a railroad simulation that covers the entire history of railroads from inception to the present day and beyond. The player chooses a map and assumes the role of chairman of a railroad company. The player tries to make profits for investors and completes various other objectives while being hindered by rivals, random events such as train breakdowns, train robbers, economic swings, and scripted events particular to the scenario. Most of the gameplay consists of building tracks, stations and trains, which are used for hauling passengers and freight from one station to another. Delivery revenue can vary by time, distance, demand, cargo type, economic state, station improvements and difficulty level. Companies can connect to and use each other's track and stations, so revenue can be split. Expenses include the fuel, track and engine maintenance and management fee. The fuel cost depends on the cargo weight and the distance each engine runs. Engine maintenance depends on engine age and the engine's type (some locomotives cost more to maintain than others). Older engines cost more to keep them on the line. The track maintenance is solely calculated from track mileage. Railroad Tycoon II features two different types of net worth: Personal Net Worth and Company Net Worth. Personal Net Worth is how rich the player and the player can use personal cash to buy shares from different companies, in an attempt to increase their personal wealth. There are also recessions and booms that happen randomly, so there is always risk involved in acts such as buying on margin or selling short. Company Net Worth is related to the total amount of assets that the company has, and this increased by trains delivering cargoes. Company Net Worth can be used to build more track to expand your railroad network. In most scenarios, the goal is often to reach a certain personal and/or company net worth of a certain value. Campaigns and Scenarios In the base game of Railroad Tycoon a sole 18-scenario campaign and 12 standalone scenarios were included. The Second Century Expansion added another 18-scenario campaign, and 15 more stand alone scenarios. The Gold Edition added 12 more scenarios, as well as the TSC expansion scenario/campaigns included. The Platinum Edition of Railroad Tycoon was a re-release of Gold Edition 50 more community made standalone scenarios included in the game, for a total of 126 scenarios. Classic Campaign Second Century * Road to Alaska (1932) * Battle For Britain * Mother Russia * Edelweiss Express * Drawstrings for the Iron Curtain * Ich Bin Ein Berliner * The Super Trains * Seattle Metra * Waste Not, Want Not * The New Daylight Express * Munich Metra * The Chunnel * Energy for a New Beginning (2006) * Elbow Room (2010) * Hell & High Water * Island of Hope * Remember America * Antarctica Rising Classic Scenarios Locomotives Main Article: Locomotives (Railroad Tycoon II) Railroad Tycoon II has a much more broader range of locomotives than that of the original Railroad Tycoon, containing 62 locomotives in the base game, with another 5 more added with The Second Century expansion pack. Unlike the original, locomotives are no longer region locked, and there are options to disable and enable certain engines to add regional flavor, through the map editor. Locomotive Specifications are much more visible and comparable for the player, with useful tools such as the top speed matrix, allowing the player to easily choose the best locomotive for the job at hand, instead of having take the qualitative word of a manual. Other new features regarding locomotives included the implementation of sand, water and oil gauges, as well as more complex loading and unloading orders. Locomotives are a central part of Railroad Tycoon, as they are the force that moves the different types of cargo around the map to the industry and cities that demand it. Each locomotive's ability is measured by it's top speed, hauling power, hill-climbing ability, reliability, as well as it's annual expenses. It is these specifications among others that can determine where a locomotive can be put to best use, and in turn allow the player to maximize their profit. For example, the Class A4 Mallard is by far the fastest steam locomotive, and while it would be useful on the Chicago to New York express passenger route, it would be much more efficient to leave freight duties to the 2-8-0 Mikado, as the latter has greater hauling power. In Railroad Tycoon II, all except one of the locomotives (the futuristic Maglev TBX-1) is based upon a real-life counterpart that was in service for a certain time. The availability dates of the locomotives in-game all largely reflect when the real life locomotive type was at it's greatest use. In the early 1800's, most locomotives are very slow, but also extremely cheap, so it is very easy to turn a profit with these locomotives. However, by the mid-20th century, maintenance and fuel costs are much higher. Finding the right balances between performance and expenses is paramount in order for later engines to be profitable. Development Balance Sheet (Railroad Tycoon II) Income Statement (Railroad Tycoon II) Railroad Tycoon II: The Second Century Railroad Tycoon II: Gold Edition Railroad Tycoon II: Platinum Edition |} Category:Railroad Tycoon II